(19)
(11) EP 1 408 680 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
28.06.2006 Bulletin 2006/26

(43) Date of publication A2:
14.04.2004 Bulletin 2004/16

(21) Application number: 03102674.3

(22) Date of filing: 29.08.2003
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
B41C 1/10(2006.01)
G03F 7/24(2006.01)
B41F 27/12(2006.01)
 H04N 1/06(2006.01)
B41J 13/22(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK

(30) Priority: 29.08.2002 US 230584

(71) Applicant: AGFA CORPORATION
Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660-2199 (US)

(72) Inventor:
  • McManus, Kevin
    01969, Rowley (US)

(74) Representative: De Niel, Marc Alfons Jozef 
Agfa-Gevaert N.V. Corporate Intellectual Property Department 3800 Patent Administration Septestraat 27
2640 Mortsel
2640 Mortsel (BE)

   


(54) Media clamping apparatus and method for an external drum imaging system.


(57) An apparatus and method for clamping the leading edge (46) of media (18) from a supply (20) of recording media (18), such as a printing plate (18), on the external drum (24) of an imaging system (10). The leading edge (46) clamping apparatus (48) includes a spring segment (108) disposed on the external drum (24), wherein the spring segment (108) may be selectively displaced between a clamping position (Fig. 4) for clamping the leading edge (46) of the printing plate (18) against the external drum (24) and a release position (Fig. 5), and an inflatable member (118, 308) positioned between the spring segment (108) and the external drum (24) for displacing the spring segment (108) between the clamping position (Fig. 4) and the release position (Fig. 5).







Search report